"Derek Cooper has given us an excellent guidebook for those who are thinking about attending seminary. Like the best of travel guides, he knows the territory well. He has a clear sense of what questions people are asking—and also the ones they ought to ask—when they are thinking about taking this journey."
- Richard J. Mouw, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Derek Cooper's conversational style and personal reflections make this book accessible and easy to navigate. He takes what is often a complex set of personal, spiritual, practical, and ecclesial decisions and offers history, perspective, and very practical counsel. It's an excellent resource for anyone contemplating theological study or who is already engaged in it, because Cooper covers the bases: from learning what a seminary is to how to attend to one's spirituality while in seminary to possible careers emanating from a seminary degree. His work is thorough, practical, and helpful."
- Philip D. Krey, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

"One of the most common jokes about seminary is that it can easily be mistaken for a cemetery, a place where living faith turns into dead religiosity. Derek Cooper debunks this misconception in a lively, informative, and accessible account of what a seminary education is all about. If you are considering the possibility of attending seminary, or even if you are just curious about the whole thing, this book will answer many of your questions and provide invaluable practical assistance in considering whether seminary is for you."
- John R. Franke, Biblical Seminary

"Why has no one published a book like this before? Derek Cooper draws from his experience, research, and wisdom and mixes it all together in an eminently informative—not to mention fun—read. For anyone contemplating the Amazon-like jungle of seminary options, here is your travel guide."
- Nicholas Perrin, Wheaton College

"A seminary education requires an enormous investment of time, energy, and finances while simultaneously having an enormous impact--for good or bad!--on the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual formation of the student. Choosing a particular school is therefore a serious matter that needs to be evaluated from multiple perspectives. Derek Cooper anticipates nearly every thoughtful question that might be raised by prospective seminarians and provides a wealth of information to help them make an informed decision."
- David G. Dunbar, Biblical Seminary

"Imagine you have the chance to address every person who is thinking of getting a master's degree in a theologically-related field. Your audience consists of both genders, every denomination and every theological background, including Roman Catholicism. Included among your waiting listeners are the starry-eyed teenager, the seasoned middle-aged baby-boomer and every age between. They are from every geographical and demographical part of America; married, single, married with kids, married without kids, etc. This is your diverse audience - people thinking about going to seminary. How would you address the questions and needs of all these diverse people groups?

"That is the Herculean task that Derek Cooper has set for himself in writing his book, So You're Thinking of Going to Seminary, a title that works better as a statement than if it were a somewhat accusatory question (So, You're Thinking of Going to Seminary?). When this book came to my attention, I was admittedly very skeptical of it as a concept before I had read a word. I thought any attempt to address such a broad theological range would water down any helpful advice. I was wrong.

"Cooper starts off in a very honest and straightforward way, emphasizing that what follows in the book are reflections from his own personal experience and should only by viewed as a guide. He is uniquely qualified to give such advice because he has attended a few seminaries and can compare different types from his personal experience.

"The structure of the book is clear and very helpful. Cooper easily gets inside the mind of the prospective student and covers every question and issue they are likely to consider. Is seminary right for me? What are the most important factors in choosing a seminary? How am I going to afford this? What makes the book helpful is the way Cooper points people in a direction and gives them a starting point for answering these kinds of questions. He touches on accreditation, financial aid, scholarships, theological tradition, and presents these and other decision factors without trying to make the decision for the reader.

"The entire book is worth reading for any prospective seminary student, but what makes it worth the price alone is his section on seminary myth-busters. This section shows his experience in talking to real people with real questions and reads like the Top Ten Misconceptions of Seminary from people who have sat in my office! If every prospective student read this section, they could get the common misconceptions out of the way and begin to concentrate on questions that will help them dig deeper into the decision process.

"As Director of Admissions at Westminster Theological Seminary, I initially thought a book on seminaries should be titled, You Should Go to Westminster, but that just shows my lack of experience that Derek Cooper makes up for with his work.

"Westminster is hands down the best seminary for almost anyone, but not everyone. There are some who may not be spiritually ready for seminary, some who may not be academically ready, and some who disagree too strongly with Westminster's theologically conservative curriculum for the classes to be effective. Cooper does a great job of presenting all the diverse seminary options so that those who may fit in those categories can make an informed decision on where to attend. As someone who works in Admissions, I am grateful for his work and research on the topic of choosing seminary and for the clear and accessible way that he presents it. It's well worth picking up!"
- Jared S. Oliphint, Director of Admissions, Westminster Theological Seminary